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ITARY SURVEY 



TOWN OF LAWRENCE, 



CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMISSIONERS 

APPOINTED UNDER A RESOLVE OF THE LEGISLATURE OF 

MASSACHUSETTS, RELATLNG TO A SANITARY 

SURVEY OF THE STATE. 



EEPRINTED FROM THE REPORT OF THE COMMISSION. 



BOSTON: 

PRINTED BY DUTTON & WENT WORTH, 

No. 37, Congress Street. 

1850. 



SANITARY SURVEY 



TOWN OF LAWRENCE, 







CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMISSIONERS 

APPOINTED UNDER A RESOLVE OF THE LEGISLATURE OF 

MASSACHUSETTS, RELATING TO A SANITARY 

SURVEY OF THE STATE. 



REPRINTED FROM THE REPORT OF THE COMMISSION. 



BOSTON: 

PRINTED BY DUTTON «& WENTWORTH, 

No. 37, Congress Street. 

1850. 



Ft*- 



The Sanitary Commission consisted of Lemuel Shattuck, Esq., cliaiiman, of Bos- 
ton ; N. P. Banks, Esq., of Waltham ; and Jehiel Abbott, M. D., of Westfield. 



IN BXCXAKOB 



Boa. 
Mar 28 06 



SANITARY SURVEY OF LAWRENCE. 



1. Natural and Atmospheric Condition of the Toion. 

Lawrence was projected as a manufacturing town, in 1844, and in- 
corporated April 17, 1847. It is 26 miles from Boston, 20 from Sa- 
lem, 24 from Newburyport, and 29 from Manchester, N. H. Its 
latitude is 42° 42' 57.67", and its longitude 71° 09' 05.84", west of 
Greenwich. It contains 4,374 square acres, 344 of which is covered 
with water. 1,980 acres of the land on the south side of the Merri- 
mack River was taken from Andover, and 2,050, on the north side, 
from Methuen. 

The general character of the soil is a dry, sandy alluvial, resting on 
a rocky base, at a greater or less depth from the surface. Clay gravel 
prevails in the northerly parts of the town. On the south side of the 
river it is generally level, and also in the central parts on the north 
side. The top of the dam across the Merrimack is 45 feet above tide 
water. In the populous part of the town, the foot of Lawrence street 
is the lowest elevation, being 4 feet above the crest of the dam, and 
37 feet below the highest elevation of the streets. Two hills, one on 
the easterly and the other on the westerly borders of the town, rise to 
the height of about 140 feet above the dam. 

There are three streams of water — the Merrimack, near the centre ; 
the Spicket, on the north ; and the Shawsheen, foi-ming, in its sluggish 
course, the easterly boundary of the town, on the south side of the Mer- 
rimack. The first two are rapid, but neither is subject to overflow its 
banks. The Merrimack, in its natural passage through the town, has 
a rapid here, known as Bodwell's Falls, which in some places falls 4 
or more feet in a 300 feet passage. In a medium curi'ent, about 5,000 
cubic feet of water passes per second, and it sometimes rises to 60,000 
per second, thus affording a water power here nearly or quite equal to 
that of Lowell. Lake Winnepisiogee, in New Hampshire, containing 
about 120 square miles, the principal source of the Merrimack River, 
has been purchased by the owners of the water power in this and the 
other manufacturing towns above, to make the flow of water at all 
seasons equal to the general average. The Spicket falls 40 feet over 
a succession of dams, and discharges about 100 cubic feet per second. 
The Shawsheen has very little perceptible fall in this town. 

The town seems to be free from natural sources of malaria ; though 
meteorological and other similar observations have not been made for 
a sufficient time, nor with sufficient accuracy, to determine, with much 
exactness, the true natural character of the locality, nor to ascertain 
whether any atmospheric peculiarity or sanitary impurity exists. 
2. Artificial and Local Condition of the Town. 

The lands now comprised within the township, previous to 1844, 
were used principally for agricultural purposes, and contained, in- 
cluding the Methuen pauper establishment, less than 100 inhabitants. 
In that year an association was formed, consisting of Messrs. Samuel 
Lawrence, John Nesmith, Thomas Hopkinson, Josiah G. Abbott, of 



Lowell, and Daniel Saunders, of Andover, by the name of the "Water 
Power Association," for the purpose of purchasing lands and creating 
a water power on Merrimack River, in Andover and Methuen. They 
selected the site and projected this as a manufacturing town ; and pur- 
chased about three-fourths of the land comprised within the present 
limits of the township. 

The same individuals obtained an act of incorporation by the name 
of the " Essex Company," dated March 20, 1845. The stock of this 
company was taken up and the company organized in April, 1845, at 
which time Hon. Abbott Lawrence was chosen President ; Messrs. 
Patrick T. Jackson, William Sturgis, Nathan Appleton, John A. Low- 
ell, and Ignatius Sargent, Directors ; and Charles S. Storrow, Esq., 
Principal Agent and Chief Engineer. To this company all the lands 
purchased by the "Association" were conve5^ed. 

Before commencing tne enterprise, a careful survey was made and 
a general plan formed, under the direction of the chief engineer, for 
using the water power, for the location and construction of the dam, 
for the canal and the mills, and for the streets and public squai'es of 
the town. In the spring of 1846, the services of Capt. Charles H. Big- 
elow, formerly of the U. S. Engineers, were also obtained for the com- 
pany, and under his immediate direction the works upon the dam and 
canal were successfully carried forward to their completion, in accord- 
ance with the original designs. 

The results of the surveys were laid down upon a map, an outline 
of which is presented, accompanying this sketch. The streets are 
from 50 to 80 feet in width, and generally 200 feet apart. The build- 
ing lots are 93 feet deep from the street, leaving a back passage-way 
of 14 feet in width between the two tiers of lots. 

The elevation of the crossing of each street, above a given level, is 
stated in the plan, showing the grading pi'oposed to be made by the 
Essex Company, as a guide to builders ; and the streets were so drawn 
as to admit of surface drainage and under-ground sewerage. A large 
common sewer, the interior of which is 6^ feet high and 3 feet wide, 
admitting a man to walk erect, was constructed of brick laid in cement 
and of stone masonry, and passes under and 4 feet below the bed of 
the canal, near the foot of Lawrence street, into the Merrimack River. 
It is in a natural ravine, of gradual descent, with a constant stream of 
water passing through it, keeping it at all times sweet and clean. 
There are two other great sewers in other parts of the town, built of 
brick and stone, each 4 feet in diameter, passing under the canal. 
These sewers lead from Haverhill street, (the one most elevated,) 
southerly, into the Merrimack. Others lead northerly, into the Spicket, 
and a very effective drainage and sewerage are by these means afforded. 
The town has appropriated $5,000, this year, for the construction of 
collateral sewers. 

The main common or public square, near the centre of the town, 
comprises 18 acres, and was the gift of the Essex Company. The 
other lands were divided into lots and numbered, a plan of which was 
drawn on different sheets, and bound in a volume, on a scale suffi- 
ciently large to admit inserting in each lot the name of the original 
purchaser, and the successive owners to which it may be transfer- 
red for several years. A part of the lots designed for private use 



were first offered for sale at auction, by the Essex Company, April 
28th, 1846. Restrictions were imposed upon the use of some of these 
lands. On Haverhill street no lot can have upon it more than one 
house and the necessary out-buildings, for twenty years ; and no 
house can be occupied by more than one family at the same time. On 
Essex street, brick or stone buildings only, three stories high, with 
slate or metallic roofs, can be erected. It is to be regretted that re- 
strictions could not have been laid upon all the lands, as they might 
have prevented some inconveniences and sanitary evils. Many of the 
streets, public squares, and other inclosures, about the town and near 
the mills, are planted with ornamental trees and shrubbery. The 
frame of the first dwelling-house was raised September 12th, 1845 ; 
since that time many substantial buildings, brick and wood, and others 
of less permanent character, have been erected. A part of the town, 
above the dam, on the south side of the river, known as " Dublin," in 
a dry and elevated situation, has been discreetly appropriated for 
" shantees," for the accommodation of Irish laborers and their fami- 
lies. The number of private dwelling-houses, including 90 Irish shan- 
tees, and exclusive of the boarding-houses of the Bay State and Atlan- 
tic Corporations, was 335, in Februaiy, 1847 ; and 849, in 1849. Of 
335 tenements, 12 were at that time occupied partly for stores ; 96, 
including the half of the shantees, contained from 2 to 9 persons 
each ; and the remainder, 227, from 10 to 74 each. In 1850, accord- 
in cr to the assessors' return to the State, for the decennial valuation, 
there were 828 dwelling-houses ; and according to the United States 
census, 1,081 tenements. 

Water for domestic use is at present obtained from wells ; it is con- 
sidered good for drinking, though rather hard for many purposes. 
Cast iron pipes, connected with force-pumps at the mills, and with the 
water of the canal, for use in case of fire, are laid in part of the 
streets, and are to be extended to others and to reservoirs upon the top' 
of the adjacent hills. An aqueduct company was incorporated May 
10, 1848, to bring water into the town ; but no definite measures have 
as yet been matured under its sanction. 

The public buildings erected, prior to January, 1850, were — 9 
houses, for the accommodation of the primary and mixed schools, 2 
for the grammar schools, and 1 for the high school ; 6 churches, and 
a Town Hall. In all the public buildings the most approved modern 
sanitary plans for warming and ventilating have been adopted. 

The High School-house is a substantial brick edifice, situated on 
Haverhill street, fronting on the northerly side of the common. It is 
large and elevated, and amply provided with the most approved, con- 
venient interior fixtures and furniture, and with necessary out-build- 
ings ; and with room for exercise and recreation. It cost about 
$15,000. Land is reserved in the neighborhood for the erection of 
additional buildings when needed. 

The Town Hall is a brick edifice of great architectural beauty, 121 
feet 2 inches in length, 64 feet 2 inches in breadth, and 55 feet in 
height. It fronts on the southerly side of the common, and was erected 
in 1849, at a cost of about $40,000. It contains a large hall for the 
accommodation of the people in general town meeting, rooms for the 
selectmen, and the various town officers, or for the mayor, aldermen,- 



and common council, when a city government shall be established, and 
for the town and county courts. 

These two buildings are unnecessarily large for the accommodation 
of the present inhabitants of the town, but are constructed partly with 
a view to its prospective growth. 

Several different companies have been incorporated in this town, for 
manufacturing purposes. The four principal ones that have commenced 
operations, are the " Essex Company," incorporated March 20, 1845, 
with a capital of $1,500,000; the "Bay State Mills," incorporated 
February 2, 1846, with a capital of $2,000,000 ; the " Atlantic 
Cotton Mills," incorporated February 3, 1846, with a capital of 
82,000,000 ; and the Lawrence Gas Company, with a capital of 
$100,000. These companies together had expended, prior to July, 
1850, about $5,000,000. The " Union Mills" and the " Pacific Mills," 
each with a capital of $1,000,000; and the " Bleaching and Dyeing 
Company," with a capital of $500,000, have been incorporated, but 
have not yet commenced operations. 

The Essex Company, — the owners of the water power and principal 
owners of the town, — have eVected the dam, canal, and machine shop. 
They dispose of the water power to other companies on certain con- 
ditions, which are specified with great care and minuteness in the 
printed proposals for their sale. They define a " Mill Power" to be 
" thirty cubic feet of water per second, when the head and fall is 
twenty-five feet," which is to be graduated to a less or greater quan- 
tity as the head and fall shall be greater or less than twenty-five feet. 
According to this principle, a fall of 20 feet would require 37^^ cubic 
feet, and a fall of 10 feet would require 80 cubic feet, per second. A 
similar principle has been adopted at Lowell. A mill power is con- 
sidered equal to about 60 or 70 horse power. Among other conditions 
of sale, the water power and mill sites are to " be held, used, and im- 
proved, for mills or buildings appurtenant thereto, or for such dwell- 
ing-houses, boarding-houses, sheds, and other out-houses, as shall be 
required and actually used for the accommodation of the agents, 
clerks, overseers, machinists, watchmen, or operatives, employed in 
such mills, and not appropriated to any other purpose whatever." 
And " the grantees are not to use any building for, or to set up or con- 
tinue any laboratory, powder mill, furnace, or forge, nor any chem- 
ical, or other works whatever, which may be so noxious or dangerous 
from fire or otherwise, as to impair, injure or endanger the life, safety 
or reasonable comfort of any person." And " no grantee shall, with- 
out license from the grantors, to be given and revoked at their pleas- 
ure, (which license is not to be given but with the consent of the mill 
owners next on each side adjoining,) keep or permit to be kept, any 
tavern or public house of entertainment, nor any livery stable, nor sell 
nor permit to be sold, any spirituous liquors of any kind, in any shop, 
store or building, upon the granted premises." These excellent stip- 
ulations are accompanied whh suitable penalties and forfeitures in case 
of non-fulfilment. They have an important sanitary bearing. 

The excavation for the foundation of the dam was commenced Au- 
gust 1, 1845; the first stone was laid September 19, following; and 
it was completed in 1848. The foundation is embedded in the solid 
rock, and bolted to it with iron. The structure is of solid masonry 



laid in cement, 1,629 feet in length. The overfall is 900 feet ; the 
south wing is 324 feet ; and the north wing is 405 feet, constructed to 
unite with guard locks at the head of the canal. The dam is 35 feet 
thick at the base, and 12^ feet at the lower end of the coping crest- 
stone. Its greatest height is 40^ feet, its average height 32 feet. The 
water falls 25 to 27 feet, giving an effective head and fall of 28 feet 
for the whole of the river. The rock excavation, in preparing its foun- 
dation, was 1,700 cubic yards ; the mass of masonry laid in cement is 
about 29,000 square yards ; and the hammered granite surface 148,000 
square feet. It cost $250,000, including coifer-dams and all inci- 
dental expenses. 

The pond, produced by this dam, flows back to the foot of Hunt's 
falls, in Lowell, which is nine miles distant. In consequence of the 
great length of the overfall, the height of the water in the pond varies 
much less than in other parts of the river, and not sufficiently to over- 
flow the banks and affect the health of the inhabitants. 

The water is taken from this pond by an artificial canal, 5,330 feet 
in length, 100 feet in width at the upper, and 60 feet at the lower end, 
measuring at the surface of the water ; and 12 feet in depth in 
the middle, and 4 feet at the side walls. At the head of the canal are 
6 sluice-ways, 12 feet deep and 9 feet wide ; and a lock for naviga- 
tion, 95 feet long and 21 feet wide, all built of hammered granite, laid 
in cement. At the lower end of the canal are three locks, of 9 to 10 
feet "lift" each, which are 20 feet wide and 90 feet long ; and a large 
waste weir of masonry, 120 feet in length. The earth excavated for 
this canal was 266,000 square yards. The side walls contain 12,000 
square yards. It is about 400 feet from, and nearly parallel to the riv- 
er ; and in this space are the sites for the mills. The water is prevented 
from oozing into the adjoining sandy soil by sheet or plank piling. 
The cost of the canal and the structures connected with it, was about 
$200,000. 

The machine shop is 404 feet in length, 64 in breadth, and 4 stories 
high, of 13 to 16 feet each, admitting the free ingress and egress of 
locomotive engines ; the forge shop, 232 feet by 53 feet 8 inches, and 
17 feet high, to contain 32 forges ; and the foundery, 154 by 90 feet, 22| 
feet high. The forges are arranged in the middle of the building, and 
the smoke is conveyed by an underground cylindrical flue of brick, 
4 and 5 feet in diameter, to a great chimney in the middle of the 
yard. This chimney is a circular stone shaft, 142 feet in height, 14 
feet exterior diameter at its base, and 8.^ feet at its top. The interior 
flue is of brick, 5 feet in diameter, surrounded by an air chamber 
nearly to the top, and receives the smoke from the steam-heating 
apparatus, the annealing furnaces, and the forge-shop. Very little 
smoke is made at these works, however, the principal part of the fuel 
used being anthracite coal. The ware-house, store-house, picking- 
house, annealing-house, and heating-house, will constitute a range of 
buildings 315 feet in length, by 43 feet 6 inches in width, and mostly 
2 stories in height. A pattern-house is to be built, 150 feet in 
length, 53^ feet in width, and 3 stories in height. All these structures 
are built of stone, warmed with steam, and are well lighted and ven- 
tilated. The motive power is supplied by two Fourneyron iron tur- 
bine wheels, improved by Boyden, of 120 to 150 horse power each, 



8 

for the machine shop, and one other for the forge shop. The water 
is conveyed 540 feet from the canal, in underground passages, and is 
discharged through an underground race-way, 1000 feet in length, con- 
sisting of two passages, each 13 feet in width and 15 feet in height, 
walled and arched with stone. The yard is accessible by a branch of 
the Boston and Maine Railroad, which completely encircles it and ram- 
ifies within it, affording the means of conveniently depositing, in store- 
houses, the iron, coal, and other heavy materials, so as to require little 
additional labor in their use. At this establishment machinery of all 
kinds is made, from a spindle to a locomotive steam-engine. The 
company will employ in their machine shop and foundery, when in 
full operation, 800 to 1,000 hands, all males. They now employ 
about 400. 

They have four blocks of dwelling-houses, built of brick, containing 
50 good 2-story tenements, with little gardens in front, upon the street, 
and deep yards leading to passage-ways in the rear, 14 feet in width. 
They occupy an entire square, have cost $2,000 each, exclusive of 
land, and are good and convenient residences. They are intended ex- 
clusively for the families of the mechanics employed in the Essex 
Company's machine shop ; 16 rent for $100 each, and 34 for $80 
each. Another square is reserved for the erection of similar blocks. 

The Atlantic Cotton Mills have erected a building 600 feet in length, 
5 and 6 stories in height, partly 64 and partly 106 feet in width, 
which is devoted to the manufacture of brown cotton goods. It is de- 
signed to contain 42,500 spindles and 1,168 looms ; 25,088 spindles 
and 728 looms are now in operation ; and 164 male and 619 female 
operatives are employed. This number will be increased to about 1,200 
when in full operation. The motive power is supplied by 3 Boyden's 
improved iron turbine wheels, each 8 feet in diameter and of 300 
horse power, — 12 mill powers are devoted to these mills. The board- 
ing-houses belonging to these mills consist of 6 blocks, containing 68 
tenements, are built upon a similar plan and have the same admirable 
arrangements for water, cleansing, sewerage, and other purposes, as 
those belonging to the Bay State Mills, presently to be noticed. Thirty- 
two of these tenements are intended for the female operatives ; and 
.'36, equally good, but containing fewer rooms, are intended for the 
overseers in the mills, and for men with families, who may also take 
'boarders. A ground plan and an elevation of these mills is presented 
iin the accompanying plate. 

The manufacturing establishments at Lawrence have been erected 
under favorable circumstances. They were planned and constructed 
under the guidance of the scientific skill and practical experience 
which had been acquired by wise and successful men, in a series of 
years, in other places, aided by an excellent water power, ample capi- 
tal, and under reasonable national and state legislation. The results 
have appeared to us so admirable, and so highly worthy of imitation, 
that we have supposed we could not perform a more useful public 
service, than to give a more particular description of one of them. 
It will show, in a favorable light, the intelligence, the enterprise, and 
the liberality, that has generally presided over all the affairs of this 
town. 

The establishment belonging to the " Bay State Mills," is devoted to 



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FRONT ELEVATION Of- ATLANTIC COTTON MILLS. 



the manufacture of cassimeres, shawls, and other fancy woollen goods ; 
and was planned and erected under the general superintendence of 
Samuel Lawrence, Esq. It is the largest mill of the kind in the 
world ; and will consume, when in full operation, more than 2,000,000 
pounds of wool annually. The mills occupy a parallelogram of 1,000 
feet in length by 400 feet in breadth, between the canal and the Mer- 
rimack River. Buildings are erected on the outer borders of this site, 
affording a spacious central area. That on the river side is 1,000 feet 
in length and 40 feet in breadth, with two wings, at right angles, at the 
ends, 240 feet by 40 feet, and outer porches for ingress and egress. 
The whole is three stories in height, excepting the centre, — 52 feet by 
42 feet, — which is five stories high. On the side next the canal is 
another line of buildings, 800 feet in length, 38 feet in width, and 2 
stories in height, designed for counting-rooms, store-houses, watch- 
houses, and other purposes. Within the interior the three principal 
mills are erected, each 200 feet by 48 feet 8 inches, containing, in- 
cluding the basement and the attic, 9 working floors. All these mills 
are substantially built of brick and covered with slate. The rooms 
are 11 to 13 feet in height i and are warmed by steam and lighted 
with gas. The apparatus for warming consists of wrought iron pipes, 
1 or 3-4 inches in diameter, placed in three, four or five parallel lines 
around the interior of the building, immediately under the windows in 
each story, maintaining in all the rooms, at all times, a uniform tem- 
perature of about 68 degrees. A structure to supply the steam is situ- 
ated in each wing of the river building, and has twelve boilers and a 
chimney 135 feet in height. All the rooms are provided with hydrants, 
to which force pumps and hose are attached, that may be used in case 
of fire, for washing, and other purposes. A person is employed in each 
room to keep every part of it and the stairways clean. Each mill is 
also provided with extra porches, — one in front and the other in the 
rear, — and with four iron ladders reaching from the bottom to the top, 
for ascent or descent in case of fire, or for any other purpose. The 
motive power for these mills is obtained from seven breast-wheels of 
the first class, 23 feet 4 inches in length, 26 feet in diameter, and of 
125 horse-power each ; two of which are placed in each principal 
mill, and one in the river mill. Eight mill-powers were purchased by 
this company. 

The boai'ding-houses are on the opposite side of the canal, and consist 
of four blocks, substantially built of brick and covered with slate, each 
250 feet in length, 36 feet in breadth, 3 stories high, of 10, 9 and 8 
feet respectively ; with 4 L's in the rear, 1 story high, to each block. 
Each block contains 8 tenements ; and each tenement, except the end 
one, is 33 1-3 feet in width and 36 in depth exclusive of the L, and 
contains 20 rooms, including the attic ; and is designed to accommodate 
36 boarders. The location and the size of the rooms will appear from 
the accompanying plan and illustration. The end houses are 25 feet 
in width, a little smaller than the others. The houses in each block, 
excepting the end ones, are like that on the right of the plan here pre- 
sented. As you enter this tenement on the left, there is a small room 
appropriated exclusively to the mistress of the house. At the right 
are two dining-rooms, connected by folding doors, each forming pleas- 
ant sitting-rooms at other than meal times. Passing through the entry 

2 



10 

you enter the kitchen, which is furnished with all necessary conveni- 
ences. Beyond this is the back kitchen, containing a large boiler and 
conveniences for various other household purposes. In the rear of this 
is the wash-room, from which you pass into a large yard, enclosed by 
a high tight fence, having at the end the wood-shed, 14 feet wide, and 
the privies ; the whole bordering on a common passage way, 14 feet 
wide. Under each alternate fence is a double cess-pool, serving for 
two houses, and having an underground passage leading to the com- 
mon sewer under the sheds. A well of pure water is connected with 
every four tenements, and all are supplied with soft water, for washing 
and other purposes, by cast iron pipes, leading from cisterns in the 
mills to the sinks in the several houses. On the second floor is the 
parlor, and also a sick room, — a small chamber with a fire-place, de- 
signed for an invalid who may need seclusion and extra warmth. Be- 
sides these are sleeping apartments for the boarders in the second and 
third stories, and in the attic, designed to accommodate 2, 4 or 6 per- 
sons each, according to the size of the room. Each tenement cost 
about 84,000 exclusive of the land ; and will compare to advantage 
with respectable dwelling-houses in Boston, and are much better than 
the average in countiy villages. 

To protect the health of the inmates, underground sewers are con- 
structed, under the sheds, in the rear of each block, through which a 
current of water, supplied by iron pipes connected with the canal on 
the left, or above the block, is constantly running, carrying off all the 
contents of the privies, cess-pools, and other filth ; and passing at right 
angles under the canal, discharging them into the river, preserving the 
houses perfectly free from offensive smells. A plan of these sewers 
may be seen in the accompanying illustration. Thirty thousand dol- 
lars was expended by this company in their construction alone, for the 
benefit of the health of the operatives ! 

Lahor hegins, or the gate closes, at 5 o'clock, A. M., from May 1 to 
September 1 ; and at ten minutes before sunrise, the remainder of the 
year. A first bell is rung about 40 minutes before, to allow time to 
prepare for work. Lahor ends at 7| P. M., from September 20 to 
March 20 ; at 7, from May 1 to September 1 ; and at 15 minutes 
after sunset, for the remainder of the year. It is intended to secure, 
on the average, 12 working hours, each day. Breakfast is served at 7 
A. M., from April 1 to September 20 ; and at Ih, for the remainder of 
the year. Dinner during the whole year at 12| M. 45 minutes are 
allowed for each meal. 

The number of operatives at present employed in these mills is 
1,867, of whom 956 are males and 911 are females. When entirely 
completed and in full operation, they will employ about 2,500, and re- 
quire a town population of 7,500. The principal part of the opera- 
tives work by the job ; the males earning on the average about $5 80 
per week, and the females about $2 75 per week, besides board, 
which is $1 50 to $2 00 per week for males, and fl 25 for females. 
The females are principally inmates of the boarding-houses. Most 
of the males, however, at present have houses of their own, or board 
elsewhere. 

The boarding-houses for the accommodation of the operatives in 
these mills, as in other manufacturing establishments, are owned by 



11 

the corporation. They have been erected, not for an investment of 
capital on which a profitable income is to be anticipated, but as a 
means of preserving a proper supervision over the operatives employ- 
ed, and for their benefit. Boarding-houses of this kind generally 
afford less than 4 per cent, interest on the capital invested. Some 
afford no income at all, and even become an annual expense to the 
owners. They are kept in repair and rented to the tenants, subject to 
such regulations and restrictions as the company see fit to establish. 
The rent and the price of board are fixed by the company ; but both 
are subject to such alteration as the circumstances of the times, and of 
all the parties interested, shall render just and proper. 

The tenants of the Bay State boarding-houses now pay $150 each, 
annually, as rent, which is about three per cent, on the cost. The fur- 
niture of the houses is obtained and owned by the tenants themselves ; 
and they furnish provisions and other articles of consumption for the 
inmates. They now receive 81 25 per week for the board of females, 
and $1 75 to $2 00 for males. The fare provided is of a plain, sub- 
stantial and wholesome kind, well prepared, neatly served, and in suf- 
ficient quantities. Operatives are under no compulsion to board in one 
tenement rather than in another ; it is for the interest of the boarding- 
house keepers, therefore, that the bill of fare should be attractive and 
satisfactory. The keepers are sometimes men with wives and fami- 
Mes ; but they are generally widows, or females who have been accus- 
tomed to perform the principal part of the business of providing for 
their families, and who desire a remunerating means of subsistence. 
Applications for these situations are generally numerous, but they can 
be obtained by none but persons of known capacity and respectability. 
And whenever indications of a different character are manifested, the 
obnoxious keeper is immediately ejected. Males and females are not 
allowed to occupy the same house, not even a man with his wife, as 
boarders. 

Several classes of regulations to be observed by the inmates of these 
houses, are printed and placed conspicuously in each house. One 
code is as follows : — 

I. The tenants must not underlet any part of ihcir tenements, nor board any persons not 
emploj'ed by the company, unless by special permission ; and, in no case, are males and fe- 
males to board in the same house. 

II. I'he tenants must, when required by the agent, give a correct account, in writing, of 
the number, names, character, habits and employment of their boarders ; and whether they 
are habitual attendants on public worship. They must, also, on the first IVlonda}- of every 
month, send to the counting-room, a list of all the boarders they have taken, and of all who 
have left their houses, during the preceding month. They must, also, at the same time, ren- 
der a list of the names of all such boarders as have required the services of a physician. 
on account of sicknes-:, during the same period. 

III. The doors must be closed at 10 o'clock in the evening, and no one admitted after 
that time, unless some reasonable excuse can be given. 

IV. The boarders must not be permitted to have company at unseasoriable hours. 

V. All improper conduct among the boarders, and all rude and <lisc)r<lerly deportment . 
must be prevented by the tenants, if possible, and if |)ersisled in, must be reported to the 
agent. 

VI. It is confidently expected, that all children over twelve, and under fourteen years of 
age. living in the houses, be kept constantly at school. 

VII. It is indispensable, that all who live in the houses should be vaccinated, and this 
will be done, at the expense of the company, by a physician, at the counting-room, for all 
those emploj'ed by the company, and for the families oi'ihe tenants. 

VIII. Tfie health of the inhabitants requires that particular attention should be paid to- 
the cleanliness and daily ventilation of the rooms. 

IX. Neither water, nor filth of any kind, must be thrown out in front of the houses, nor 
be allowed to remain in the cellars, back-yards or sheds. 



12 

X. Ashi's must uot be kept in wooden vessels, nor will Hiiy carelessness be allowed in 
llie u.se of tire or lights. Neither ramphene, nor any other explosive compound used lor 
lights, will be allowed on the premises. 

XI. 'riie rooms must not be mutilalwl. nor defaced; and, in all cases, where the plas- 
tering of the walls is broken, either by driving in nails, screws, or pins, or by rubbing with 
furniture, or by any carelessness, or by any other means beyond ordinary use and wear, the 
injury will be repaired, and the cost thereof charged to the person leasing the house. 

XII. A suitable chamber for the sick, must be reserved in each house, so that they may 
not be annoyed by others occupying the same room. 

XIII. VVindovv glass must not be allowed to remain broken, longer than one day. 

XIV. Wood and coal will not be permitted to be taken into the cellars, nor from them, 
through the front windows. 

Xv. The closest supervision will be exercised to enforce these rules, and the tenants 
themselves are particularly required to pay close attention to them, and to insist upon their 
observance on the part of their boarders. 

XVI. No tenement will be leased to persons of immoral or intemperate habits, and any 
tenant, who, after occupancy, shall be found to be of such liabils, or to receive boardeis of 
such habits, will be notified to vacate the premises. 

\i^Tlie tenants are prirticiilarhj Jf sired to lend their aid in the preservation of the trees in 
front ofllie houses, and to give immediate information to the agent, if any injury be done them. 

Similar regulations are issued by the Atlantic Cotton Mills, besides 
an additional code, one section of which is the following : — 

A proper observance of the Sabbath being necessary for the maintenance of good order, 
all persons m the employ of this company are expected to he constant in attendance at public 
icorsliip, ami those who habituall}' neglect this regulation, or whose habits shall be Ibund to 
be intemperate, or otherwise irregular or incorrect, or who aie known to attend improper 
places of amusement, will be discharged. 

The execution of these and other police regulations of the whole es- 
tablishment, is entrusted to the general agent and a sufficient number 
of subordinate overseers, who are daily present at the mills. The 
agent is required to be a man who, by his known capacity, his experi- 
ence, and his character, is fitted for the station. Under his wise and 
systematic supervision, the boarding-houses, and all the departments of 
these extensive mills, are managed with the same care as a small, 
well-regulated family. 

The influence of the system by which the boarding-houses are reg- 
ulated, is immensely beneficial, whether we consider it in a social, 
moral, or sanitary point of view. It is an influence which is felt by 
all the operatives, at all times, while they are out of the mills as well 
as in them. In the boarding-houses too, a care, attention and over- 
sight, is frequently exerted by the landlady over her boarders, which 
is nearly allied to that which a kind parent exerts over her children, 
and which produces almost as strong a mutual attachment in the one 
case as in the other. 

The Lawrence Gas Company commenced operations Januaiy 1st, 
1849. The mills, streets and public buildings are now lighted with 
gas, and it is to be extended as needed. The gas establishment is on 
the banks of the Merrimack, below the populous part of the town 
and the entrance of the Spicket, that no inconvenience may be expe- 
rienced from its drainage or otherwise. Besides the establishments 
already noticed, there are several others of minor importance, — 
among which may be mentioned, a card clothing manufactory, a 
large piano manufactory in the northwest part of the town, and works 
for the manufacture of paper hangings. . No slaughter-house, nor any 
manufactory unfavorable to the health of the inhabitants, is permitted 
near the centre of the town. 

The return of the assessors, for the State Valuation in 1850, di- 



13 



vides the lands of the town into 60 acres of tillage land ; 214 of 
English and upland mowing ; 33 of fresh meadow ; 202 of pasturage ; 
408 of woodland ; 2,702 of unimproved land ; 62 of unimprovable ; 
300 used for roads ; and 374 covered with water. This gives a total 
of 4,355 acres, or 19 less than the survey as stated, page 437. 

The annual agricultural produce of these lands is stated at 20 bushels 
of wheat ; 32 of rye ; 350 of oats ; 350 of Indian corn ; 159 tons of 
English hay, and 17 tons of meadow hay ; and there were in the town 
185 horses, 37 oxen, 107 cows, and 58 swine. 

3. Number and Condition of the Inhahitants. 

At the first enumeration of the inhabitants, made February, 1847, 
Lawrence contained 3,577 ; of whom 2,289 were males, and 1,118 fe- 
males ; 1,271 lived in Irish dwellings. At the second enumeration, 
made January, 1848, it contained 5,949, of whom 3,750 were Amer- 
icans, 2,130 Irish, 28 English, 16 other foreigners, and 16 colored 
persons. At the third enumeration, September, 1849, it contained 
7,225. The State Census, May, 1850, gave 8,358, living in 1,416 
families, or an average of 6 to a family ; of whom 7,620 were on the 
north and 738 on the southern side of the Merrimack. Legal voters, 
March, 1850, — south side of the river, 84, north side, 993, total, 1,077. 
Militia enrolled, 1,031. An abstract of the United States Census, just 
completed, gives 8,500 inhabhants, living in 1,415 familes, and 1,061 
tenements-; averaging 6 to a family and 8 to a tenement. The follow- 
ing is an abstract of this census, furnished us by the assistant mar- 
shal : — 

Number. 

2,266 

919 

1,486 

350 

18 

37 

75 

4 

12 

18 

2,554 

761 



Ages. 


Males. 


Females. 


Both. 


Place of Birth. 


Under 5,- 


467 


437 


904 


Massachusetts, 


5 to 10, 


346 


345 


691 


Maine, . 


10 to 15, 


278 


339 


617 


New Hampshire, 


15 to 20, 


378 


609 


987 


Vermont, 


20 to 30, 


1,007 


1,487 


2,494 


Rhode Island, 


30 to 40, 


595 


572 


1,167 


Connecticut, . 


40 to 50, 


298 


272 


570 


New York, . 


50 to 60, 


122 


109 


231 


New Jersey, . 


60 to 70, 


41 


44 


85 


Pennsylvania, 


70 to 80, 


14 


16 


30 


Other States, . 


80 to 90, 


3 





3 


Foreigners, . 
Unknown, 



Total, 



3,549 4,230 7,779 



Under 15, 1,091 1,121 

15 to 60, 2,400 3,049 

Over 60, 58 60 



2,212 

5,449 

118 



Total, 3,549 4,230 7,779 

Persons whose ages are ) ^^i 



not specified, 
Total population, 



8,500 



Total, 

Colored persons. 

Insane, . 

Deaf and dumb, 

Number between 5 and 
15, is here stated at 
1,308 ; number return- 
ed by school commit- 
tee, in May, 



8,500 



14 
3 
5 



1,180 



The whole population in the manufacturing towns, averages about 
three times the number of the operatives employed. According to this 



14 



rule, when the mills now existing or are in the process of erection 
are in full operation, Lawrence will require about 5,000 operatives, 
and a town population of 15,000 ; and those that are projected, but not 
yet commenced, will require about as many more. 

The names, dates of commencing business in the place, and other 
interesting particulars concerning professional and other occupations, 
are presented in " The Lawrence Courier," the oldest weekly news- 
paper of the town, for February, 1847, January 8, 1848, and April 4, 
1849. It appears that the first mechanic came into town. May 15, 
1845 ; the frame of the first dwelling-house was raised September 12, 
1845 ; the first attorney came March 10, 1846 ; the first physician, 
October, 1845 ; the first apothecary, June 24, 1846 ; the first printing 
was done September 26, 1846 ; and the first newspaper was issued 
October 9, 1846. The " Essex County Sentinel" was first issued Sep- 
tember 2, 1848. The Post Office was established August, 1846. 

The first public tax in Lawrence was assessed in 1847. The 
aggregate valuation of the real and personal property, estimated at 
its market cash value ; the number of ratable polls ; the amount of 
the taxes assessed ; the rate per cent., or the number of cents on 
$100 of the valuation ; and the average amount on each poll, and 
on each inhabitant, in different years, have since been as follows : — 



Ajjgresate Valuation of the Property. 
Vpnr 


IP 


Amount of 
Ta.ices assessed 


Proportion on each. 


Real. 


Personal. 


Total. 


$100 Poll. 


Inhabi- 
tant. 


1847 #1,563,045 

1848 3,466,586 

1849 4,781,950 

1850 4,890,264 


#156,159 
347,840 
948,760 

1,012,477 


#1,719,204 
3,814,426 
5,730,710 
5,902,741 


1,679 
1,730 
2,262 
2,249 


#7,871 75 
18.610 39 
25,790 94 
32,243 41 


#0.39 #4 62 #•2 20 
0.42 10 75| 3 12 
0.39 11 40 3 17 
0.49 14 31 3 85 



It appears from this statement, that each $ 100 value of the property 
paid 39 cents, in 1847, and 49, in 1850 ; that for each ratable poll 
was paid on the average $4.62, in 1847, and $14.31, in 1850; and 
that for each inhabitant of the whole town was paid, on the average, 
$2.20, in 1847, and $3.85, in 1850. The greatest proportion of the 
taxes is paid by the manufacturing property. 

The taxes paid by the incorporated companies within the town, for 
the last three years, are as follows : — 

Companies. 

Essex Company, 

Bay State Mills, 

Atlantic Cotton Mills, 

Bay State Bank, 

Boston and Maine Railroad 

Essex Railroad, 

Gas Company, 



In 1848. 


In 1849. 


In 1850. 


. $4,950 96 


$7,400 25 


$8,590 85 


3,028 20 


3,637 34 


6,614 99 


2,100 00 


4,291 17 


5,031 56 


54 60 


50 70 


78 40 


21 00 


276 90 


296 74 


• 


35 10 


24 50 
245 00 



Proportion per cent, of 
whole tax, . 



$10,154 76 $15,691 46 $20,882 04 
54.56 60.84 64.76 



15 



If any argument were necessary, at this day, to show that corpora- 
tions ai-e in many respects beneficial to the people, these facts furnish 
a conclusive one. Here is an instance where more than one half, (and 
for this year, $20,882 04 of the $32,243 41, or 64.76 per cent.— 
nearly two-thirds,) — of all the public taxes i-aised by the town, for the 
social, pecuniary, educational, moral, and sanitary welfare of the whole 
people, is paid by the corporations established within it. These corpo- 
rations give employment and means of subsistence to a large portion of 
the population of the town, and create a market for the agricultural 
products of the neighborhood, and thus diffuse their beneficial in- 
fluence among all classes. This is a direct, positive good, obvious 
to every one. They also deposit in the town foreign capital, or capital 
not previously existing there, to be publicly taxed for the general good. 
This, though a less obvious, is none the less a great public blessing ; 
and contributes to the general welfare and sanitary improvement of 
the people. 

The following statement exhibits an abstract of the income and ex- 
penditures of the town, for the last two years, ending the first of 
March ; and specifies the sources from which the income was de- 
rived, and* the purposes for which the expenditures were made : — 



INCOME. 



From Taxes, 

Rents, ... 
Fees and licenses, 
State School Fund, 
State paupers. 
Loans, . 
Balance of last account, 



March 1, 1849. 

$18,011 89 

79 00 

99 82 

516 82 

24,892 55 



March 1, 1850. 

$24,329 97 

472 64 

12 00 

174 24 

2,833 88 

35,662 60 

81 45 





$43,600 08 


$63,566 68 


EXPENDITURES. 




For Public buildings, . 


$8,000 00 


$27,174 09 


Schoolhouses, 


13,370 16 


10,129 24 


Schools, 


4,061 81 


5,895 79 


Roads and bridges. 


2,711 03 


3,552 98 


Health, 


553 31 


335 75 


Fire department, . 


3,480 84 


4,852 19 


Pauperism, . 


3,522 16 


3,622 14 


Police, . 


631 24 


437 55 


Militia, 




723 00 


County tax, . 


614 90 


614 90 


Interest, 


975 01 


2,597 56 


Contingent, . 


5,598 17 


2,504 07 


Balance on hand, . 


81 45 


1,127 42 



$43,600 08 $63,566 68 

This statement shows that appropriations and expenditures have 
been made in this town, for various public purposes, with great liber- 



16 

ality. It has been considered wise policy and good economy, in 
making these expenditures, even at the risk of creating a public debt, 
to keep in view, not merely the wants of the present inhabitants, but of 
those who may, according to reasonable anticipations, hereafter, within 
a few yeai-s, become inhabitants. In establishing a new town like this, 
accommodations must be provided for transacting the public business, 
for public schools, and for various other purposes. Such buildings 
have now been constructed ; and no considerable expenditure will be 
needed on that account for years to come. It is intended that all cur- 
rent expenses shall hereafter be paid by current income ; and that the 
town debt shall be cancelled by annual instalments and by a sinking 
fund. 

The Public Schools of Lawrence are — 1. Primary Schools, for the 
education of children under 7 years of age ; 2. Middle Schools, for 
those between 7 and 10 ; 3. Grammar Schools, for those between 10 
and 12 ; and, 4. a High School, for those over 12. The classification 
of the scholars depends, however, upon their qualifications to be trans- 
ferred from a lower to a higher grade of schools. Where it is imprac- 
ticable, on account of locality or other causes, to divide the children 
under 10, into middle and primary schools, they are associated in what 
are termed mixed schools. We gather the following facts regarding 
the schools, from the returns of the school committee to the Board of 
Education, on the first of May, in each year specified : — 

In 1848. Ill 1840. In 1860. 

Children in town, between the ages of 5 

and 15, . 

Number of public schools. 
Number of scholars at the schools. 
Average attendance, .... 
Number of teachers, .... 
Money raised for the support of schools, . 
Average for each child between 5 and 15, 
School rank of the town in the county. 
School rank of the town in the State, 

The following statement, furnished us by the secretary of the school 
committee, shows the state of the schools October 1, 1850 : — 

Number of Schools. 

7 Primary schools, . 
2 Mixed schools, 
5 Middle schools, 
2 Grammar schools, 
1 High school. 

Total and average, . . 3 22 1,327 $8,030 $6 05 

The female teachers receive $225 salary each, per annum ; the 
teachers of the grammar schools, $700, and of the high school, $800. 
All the schools are kept the whole year, except two weeks of vacation 
in winter, and four in summer. It appears by this statement, that the 
annual expense of educating each scholar, on the average for all the 
schools, is about $6 ; in the primary schools, $3.96 ; and in the high 



620 


1,089 


1,180 


8 


11 


15 


825 


1,050 


1,006 


615 


651 


939 


7 


13 


16 


$2,000 


$3,750 


$6,602 


$3 23 


$3 44.4 


$5 59.5 


4th. 


4th. 


1st. 


55th. 


55th. 


19th. 



Male 


Female 






For each 


Teachers. 


Teachers. 


Scholars. 


Annual Expense. 


Scholar. 


. 


9 


599 


$2,375 


$3 96 


. 


2 


95 


570 


6 00 


. 


5 


250 


710 


2 84 


. 2 


5 


330 


3,075 


9 31 


. 1 


1 


53 


1,300 


24 52 



PLANS OF THE BOARDING HOUSES BELONCINC TO 
THE BAY STATE MILLS IN LAWRENCE. 




^ 




ZNO HOUSE IN THE BLOCK. 



SECOND HOUSE IN THE BLOCK 



SECOND & THIRD FLOORS 




A-SfoSty-St -Jid; iiostoyt. 



PASSAGE WAY I4FT. IN WIOTK 



SEWER 

SHED 



SEWER 

SHCO 



CESSPOOL 



y YARD. 



CESSPOOL 



.ELL@ 







- 














2 


z 










Q. 


a. 


?Si 






2C 


:£ 


^ 


2 


z 


\ 


W 


»} 




bJouJr 


B© 


R 
■ 



YARD. 




ATTJC. 



13xi4 



« 



I I 



9 V 1.^ 



10 r7, -Pt 



-fzexUt- 



1 



closet] 

CL05CT j 



i04.- /^ 



3 



17 

school, $24.52. This town was fourth in rank in the county, in 
1849, — Salem, Newburyport, and Essex, only, being higher ; and it 
•wasjirst in 1850, having paid for education, at the rate of $5.59|^ for 
every child in the town, between the ages of 5 and 15 years. The 
admirable school system and the schools of Lawrence, have been 
justly commended for their elevated character and rank. 

A bank, with a capital of $300,000 ; a savings bank, in which the 
deposits are rapidly increasing ; and a mutual fire insurance company, 
exist in this town. Railroads intersect at this place, which form a di- 
rect connection with Boston, Salem, Lowell, and various other places 
in this and the neighboring states, and afford all needful means of in- 
tercommunication. 

Two military companies, the Lawrence Light Infantry and the Law- 
rence Mechanic Rifle Company, have been organized, each containing 
about 50 members. 

The Franklin Library received from Hon. Abbott Lawrence $1,000, 
which has been increased by other donations. It has already a collec- 
tion of valuable scientific and miscellaneous works. An able course 
of scientific and literary lectures is given annually, before the lyceum 
of the town. 

The inhabitants enjoy comfortable means of subsistence, and their 
general character is industrious and temperate. The greatest propor- 
tion of the intemperance, pauperism, crime, and disease, which has 
existed in the town, has been among the transient population. There 
are six public houses, either hotels or taverns, at all of which intoxi- 
cating liquors ?nay be obtained. No licenses, however, for their sale, 
are granted. 

The average compensation for mechanical labor is, for carpenters, 
$1.37^ per day ; for masons, $1.75 per day, without board. For com- 
mon American laborers, $1.00; Irish, 70 to 80 cents. Building ma- 
terials are abundant, at reasonable prices. The prices of provisions are 
about the same as in Boston. Coal is $7.00 per ton — firewood $3^ 
to $6 per cord. 

In the year ending March 1, 1849, the overseers of the poor paid 
for the partial or entire support of 243 persons, expending $3,771 56. 
This is nearly 1 pauper to 27 inhabitants ; and 50 cents for each in- 
habitant. The number returned to the State, November 1, 1849, was 
455. For the year ending March 1, 1850, the town paid for 3,792 
days of pauper support, which is equal to the support of a little more 
than 10 persons during the whole year. The number actually in the 
poor-house, July, 1850, was 14 ; of whom 8 were foreigners — 3 adults 
and 5 children ; and 6 were Americans — 3 adults, and 3 children. 

For the year ending October, 1850, the number of persons con- 
victed before the police court of Lawrence, was 270 ; of this number, 
127 were convicted for drunkenness, 43 for assault and battery, 21 
for simple larceny, 19 for disturbing the peace, 18 for selling spirituous 
liquors, 9 for violating the Sabbath, 7 for assaults on oflficers, 7 for as- 
saults on females, 5 for obtaining goods on false pretences, 2 for lewd 
and lascivious behavior, 2 for wilful trespass, 2 for larcenies in dwell- 
ing-houses, and 1 each for receiving stolen goods, for store-breaking, 
for arson, for rape, for bigamy, for adultery, and for conspiracy. 

A very large proportion of these criminals were transient persons, 

3 



18 

who had arrived but a short tune before their arrest. All but 12 of 
those convicted for drunkenness and for disturbing the peace, were of 
this character. A marked improvement is said to have taken place 
among the Irish population, during the past year ; and very few of this 
class have been arrested for crime. 

The following statement will exhibit the religious opinions and in- 
stitutions of the people of Lawrence : — 

Cost Annual Fxp. 

Denominations. When Organized. of Cliurdifs. Sittings, of Pnb.Wor. 

First Orthodox ConcTcgraional. . Aug. 8, 181fi, 512,000 1,200 ^1.200 

Second " " . Dec. lit, 1841), Worship in Hall, 1,4.50 

Episcopalian, .... April 29, 18 H, Worship in Vestrv, 1.000 

Unitarian, Aug. 30, 1847, ^8,000 900 * KSOO 

Baptist Aug. 17, 1847, 9,000 800 1.000 

Methodist Juiie 1846, G,000 800 800 

Universalist, .... Nov. 15. 1847, Worship in Hall, (JOO 

Freewill Baptist April ' 184/5, ^.3,000 500 600 

First Roman Catholic, . . . April 1846, 1.500 200 600 

Second " " ' . . . Dec. 1848, 4,000 1,200 1,000 

It appears by this statement, that about $10,000 is annually contrib- 
uted by voluntary donation for religious instruction. Flourishing Sab- 
bath schools exist in all the churches. The Roman Catholics are 
building a stone church to cost over $30,000. 

4. Municipal Regulations and Sanitary Police. 

The municipal government of the town consists of 3 selectmen, a 
town clerk, a treasurer, 3 assessors, 5 school committee-men, and sev- 
eral other subordinate officers, all chosen in March, annually. The 
selectmen act as a board of health, and as overseers of the poor. The 
police is composed of 1 deputy sheritr, 5 constables, 1 coroner, and 24 
night and day watch and police. The watchmen are paid 20 cents per 
hour, while on duty. A special act establishing a police court was 
passed May 5, 1848. A fire department was also incorporated May 
10, 1848, the members of which receive 25 cents per hour, while on 
duty. The selectmen, as a board of health, have issued the following 
code of rules and regulations : — 

In accordance with the 21st chapter of the Revised Statutes of the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts, the following regulations were established at a meeting of the board, for the 
health and safety of the inhabitants of Lawrence : — 

Art. I. Every tenement in the town, used as a dwelling-house, shall be furnished with a 
suitable receptacle under ground to carry oft' the waste water — and also with a privy, the 
vault of which shall be under ground— to be built in the manner prescribed in the fourth ar- 
ticle of this chapter, and of sufficient capacity in proportion to the number of inhabitants of 
such tenement. 

Art. n. When the board of health shall be satisfied that any tenement, u.'-ed as a dwel- 
ling-house, is not furnished with a sufiicient receptacle, privy or vault, or either of them, 
they shall give notice, in writing, to the occupant, owner or his agent, requiring that a suit- 
able receptacle, privy or vault, or either of them, be constructed within such time as they 
shall appoint, for the use of such tenement ; and in case such requisition be not complietl 
with, the board shall cause such receptacle, privy or vault, or either of them, to be con- 
structed, the expense of which shall be charged to such occupant, owner or agent. 

Art. III. Whenever the board of health shall find that the number of persons occupying 
any tenement is so great as to be the cause of nuisance or sickness, or a source of filth; or 
whenever anj" tenement is not furnished with a suitable tJrivy, vault and receptacle under 
ground, according to the provisions of this chapter, the board may cause all or any persons 
occupying such tenement to be removed therefrom — first giving them notice, in writing, to 
remove, and allowing them the space of at least forty-eight hours, in which to comply witli 
said notice. 

Art. IV. All vaults and privies hereafter built, shall be so constructe<l that the inside of 
the same shall be at least two feet distant from the line of every adjoining lot, unless the 
board of health, or the owner of said adjoining lot shall otherwise agree and consent, and 
also from every street, lane, alley, court, square, or place, or public or private passage- 
way ; there shall be no communication between any vault or privy, and any common sewer 



19 

or drain, aiul every vault shall be at least five feet deep from the surface or grade of the 
surrounding land, and shall be constructed of brick or stone, laid in cement, or of good 
plank, at least tvio inches thick, and to be made water tight — and all vaults or privies al- 
ready constructed, not couformiiig to the foregoing, shall, within thirlj' days from the date 
hereof, be so altered, repaired, or rebuilt, as to conform to the above requirements; and 
whenever any vault or privy shall become offensive, the same shall be cleansed, and the 
owner or his agent, or the occupant of the land in which any vault or privy may be situated, 
the stale and condition of which shall be in violation of the provisions of this article, shall 
cause the same to be removed, cleansed, altered, amended, or repaired, within a reasonable 
time after notice, in writing, to that effect, given by the board of health ; and in case of neg- 
lect or refusal, the same shall be performed under the direction of the board of health, at the 
expense of the owner, agent, or occupant aforesaid. 

Art. V. No vault shall be opened between the 15th day of May and the Mth day of Oc- 
tober, in each year, unless on inspection caused to be made, the board of health shall be 
satisfied that the same is absolutely necessary for the health or comfort of the inhabitants ; 
in which case they may grant special permission, under such restrictions as they may deem 
expedient; and no vault shall be opened at any time during the j'ear, until 10 o'clock, P. M. 

Art. VI. Whenever it shall appear to the board of health that an3' cellar, lot or vacant 
land is in a state of nuisance, or so situated that it may become dangerous to the public 
health, they ma}' cause the same to be drained, filled up, or otherwise prevented from be- 
coming or remaining a cause of nuisance or sickness, and shall charge all reasonable ex- 
penses incurred in so doing, to the several owners, or parties occupying such cellar, lot, or 
vacant land : provided, notice shall have been first given, and the space of forty-eight hours 
thereafter allowed, as provided in the second article of this chapter; provided, that if no 
owner or occupant is known to the board of health to be a resident in the town of Lawrence, 
notice shall be given at least two weeks, in one or more of the newspapers of said town of 
Lawrence. 

Art. VIL No person or persons shall throw or deposit, or cause to be thrown or depos- 
ited, in any street, court, square, lane, alley, public square, or vacant lot, or into any water, 
an}' dirt, sawdust, soot, ashes, cinders, shavings, hair, shreds, manure, oyster or lobster 
shells, waste vvater, rubbish, or filth of any kind, or an}' animal or vegetable matter or sub- 
stance whatever. 

Art. Vin. No person shall bring into the town for sale, nor ofler for sale, any diseased, 
unwholesome, stale or putrid meat, fish, or other articles of provisions, nor any fish, except 
salmon an 1 shad, and except smelts and other small fish, that shall not first have been 
cleansed of Iheir entrails and refuse parts. 

REVISED STATUTES— [Chap. 21. sec. 5 :]— " The board of health shall make such 
regulations respecting nuisance, sources of filth, and causes of sickness, within their respec- 
tive towns, as liiey shall judge necessary for the public health and safely. 

And if any person shall violate any such regulations, he shall forfeit a sum not exceeding 
one hundred dollars. 

All persons will hereby take notice that the above rules and regulations must be strictly 
complied with. 

Whenever ci complaint is made against any person for a violation of 
these regulations, a notice, containing a copy, is served upon such vio- 
lator, and he is required to remove the nuisance in 48 hours. 

Lawrence has two places for the interment of the dead. One, contain- 
ing five acres, lies in a pine grove, about a mile from the town-house, and 
was bought by the town of the Essex Company, for $1,000. It is beauti- 
fully laid out, intersected by avenues and paths, and divided into family 
lots, 10 by 14 feet, and into single graves ; the whole designed to fur- 
nish burial accommodations for about 5,000 bodies. Each family lot, 
and each single grave, is numbered and marked, and a record is made 
of the persons interred therein. The right of burial for a single grave 
is free. A family right, 10 by 14 feet, for 8 graves, is sold for $3.00. 
The ordinary expenses for interment are, — for a good pine coffin, 
$4.00 ; digging the grave and the undertaker's fees, $3 ; total, $7, 
besides carriages. A greater amount, of course, is sometimes ex- 
pended. The other is a Catholic ground, and contains 3 acres. It is the 
private property of Rev. Charles D. French, the eldest Catholic priest 
in the town. Rights for burial for single graves in this ground, are 
sold at $5.00 for adults, and at $3.00 for children. A " family right," 
or a right to dig any depth and deposit as many bodies as one pleases, 



20 

one upon the top of another, is sold for $9.00 ! Charity graves are 
sometimes granted. 

5. Health, Sickness, and Mortality of the Inhabitants. 
The records of births, marriages, and deaths, were commenced May 
1, 1847, and have since been continued. For the last eight months of 
1847, and the two subsequent years, we obtain the following abstract 
of these records : — 





May to Dec. 31, 1847. 


in 1848. 


In 1849. 


Total. 


Births, 


139 


185 


61 


325 


Marriages, 


19 


81 


40 


130 


Deaths, 


84 


83 


162 


329 



The records of births and marriages are imperfect. Of the births 
recorded, 193, or more than 50 per cent., were of children of foreign 
parents. Some of the deaths are supposed not to have been recorded, 
in 1847 and 1848 ; but for 1849, all are supposed to have been en- 
tered. In 1848 there was one recorded death to 71 inhabitants ; and 
in 1849 there was one to 44. Assuming this as a means of compar- 
ison, it will show, in the last year, an excess of about 50 deaths above 
a healthy standard. 

The aggregate and average ages of ail whose ages are specified in 
the records, was as follows : — 

Deaths of Persons 
Date, whose Ages are known. Aggregate Ages. Average Ages. 

1847, 79 1,819 yrs. 6 ms. 14 ds. 23 yrs. ms. 11 ds. 

1848, 79 1,317 " " 23 " 16 " 8 " 2 " 

1849, 156 2,082 " 6 " 7 " 13 " 4 " 4 " 

The specific divisions of ages exhibit the following results : — 

Ages. 

Under 15, 
15 to 60, 
Over 60, 

Total, . . .155 159 314 100 

And in the different seasons of the year they were, as far as speci- 
fied, as follows : — 



Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Proportion. 


63 


65 


128 


40.8 


71 


73 


144 


45.8 


21 


21 


42 


13.4 



Quarter. 


Under 15. 


15 to 60. 


Over 60. 


Total. 


Proportion. 


Winter quarter, 


25 


25 


2 


52 


17.5 


Spring quarter. 


34 


22 


1 


57 • 


19.2 


Summer quarter. 


79 


48 


5 


132 


44.4 


Autumn quarter, 


26 


28 


2 


56 


18.9 



Total, . 164 123 10 297 100 

The causes of death, as far as specified on the records, are exhib- 
ited in the following statement : — 



21 



Causes of Death. 


Males. 


Females. 


s 


Under 15. 


Ij to 60. 


Over 60. 


Under 15. 


15 to 60. 


Over60. 


o 


SPECIFIED CAUSES. 


55 


67 


18 


57 


67 


18 


282 


1. Zymotic Diseases, 

2. Of uncertain seat, 

3. Of the Nervous Organs, . 

4. Of the Respiratory Organs, 

5. Of tlie Circulative Organs, 

6. Of the Digestive Organs, . 

7. Of the Generative Organs, 

8. Of Old Age, . 

0. Accidental Deaths, . 


26 
1 
4 

10 

9 
5 


36 

2 

13 

1 

3 

12 


5 
3 

1 

5 

3 

1 


35 
1 

9 

8 

2 
2 


16 
4 
3 

30 

4 
9 

i 


6 

i 

4 
6 

i 


124 
9 

19 

66 
1 

29 
9 
4 

21 


Total specified. 


55 G7 


18 


55 


67 


18 


282 


Causes not specified, 


8 4 


3 


8 


6 


3 
21 


32 


Total, . . . . 


63 


71 


21 


65 


73 


314 



The specific diseases and causes of death, as stated in this table, are 
as follows : — 



1. 




3. 




Disease of Bowels, 


13 


Cholera Morbus, 


5 


Apoplexy, . 


. 2 


Jaundice, . . . 


1 


Cholera Infantum, 


4 


Convulsions, 


. 7 


Teething, . . . 


7 


Croup, . . . 


4 


Disease of Brain, 


. 10 




— 


Dysentery, . . 


26 




— 


Total, . . . 


29 


Typhus Fever, 


52 


Total, . . 


. 19 


7. 




Hooping Cough, 


2 


4 




Child-birth, . . 


9 


Influenza, . . 

Measles, 


2 
11 


Consumption, . 
Pnuemonia, 


. 58 
. 7 


8. 
Old Age, . . . 


4 


Scarlatina, . . 


18 


Pleurisy, . . 


. 1 


9. 

Accidents, . . 


15 


Total, . . 


124 


Total, . . 


66 


Intemperance, . . 


3 


2. 








Want, . . . . 


3 


Dropsy, . . . 
Hsemorrhage, . 


6 

1 


5. 

Disease of Heart, 


. 1 


Total, . . . 


21 


Scrofula, . . 


2 


6. 










- 


Gastritis, . . 


. 2 


Not specified, . 


32 


Total, . . 


9 


Canker, , . . 


. 6 


Still-born, . . . 


8 



It will be seen by this statement, that typhus fever, dysentery, scar- 
latina, and measles, among the greatest epidemics of the State, and 
consumption, the most to be dreaded of all diseases, have prevailed 
here to a large extent, producing, respectively, 52, 26, 18, 11, and 58, 
of the total mortality of 282 cases in which causes are specified. Of 
the fever victims the greatest proportion have been males in the pro- 
ductive periods of life, some of whom were laborers on the public im- 
provements. A majority of the deaths by consumption, were those of 



22 

females in the same period. No case of Asiatic cliolcra has occurred 
in the town. 

Since the foregoing abstract was prepared, a record of the deaths 
during the 6 months, ending July 1, 1850, has been obtained, from 
which it appears that 59 deaths took place during that period, — 31 
males and 28 females. Their aggregate ages were 1381 years, 5 
months, 10 days, and their average age 23 years, 5 months. Of these, 
14 died of consumption — 7 males and 7 females, — 7 were Americans 
and 7 foreigners ; 9 died of typhus fever — 5 males and 4 females, all 
Americans but 2 ; and 7 died of small-j)ox — 4 males and 3 females — 
all Americans but one, and whose deaths were traceable to a neglect 
of vaccination. These three diseases were the causes of more than 
half the deaths. 

6. Conclusions and Recommendations. 

The conclusions to which the foregoing facts lead are : — 

1. That the natural situation of Lawrence, its dry soil, its waters, 
and its general features, seem to be favorable to the promotion of 
health. The town is, however, as yet, too young, and observations 
have been too limited, to determine its true sanitary character. 

2. That in the artificial and local arrangements for the manufactur- 
ing establishments and their accompanying structures, in the plan and 
location of the streets of the town, in the dwelling-houses, and in the 
public squares and public buildings, many of the most approved prin- 
ciples of sanitary science have been introduced. 

3. That the pecuniary, social, and moral welfare of the operatives 
in the mills, is as well cared for here as in any place within our 
knowledge. Their house accommodations, means of subsistence, and 
the moral and sanitary supervision under which they act, cannot be 
too highly commended. 

4. That the public educational, and other institutions of the town, 
and the social condition of the inhabitants, are such as must contribute 
to their general welfare and improvement, physical, intellectual and 
moral. 

5. That the facts regarding the mortality of the town, especially for 
the last year, exhibit a remarkably low average age at death. This is 
not to be taken, however, (for the reasons we have already given in 
this Report, pp. 139, 140) as an exact test of the sanitary character of 
the inhabitants. The population is necessarily young, the births are 
numerous; and the deaths among the children will consequently be 
proportionably numerous. Comparatively few old people exist in the 
town to die. This must depress the average age at death. 

6. That temporary causes have operated in Lawrence, as in other 
new places, to depi'ess the public health, and to produce an unnatural 
increase in the number of deaths. Among these causes may be men- 
tioned ; — 1. The transition from one place and from one mode of 
living to others ; — 2. The bringing together of persons and adventur- 
ers of different characters and habits, sometimes with broken fortunes 
or debilitated constitutions ; — 3. The digging up and removal of the 
soil and earth, sometimes producing unwholesome exhalations ; — 4. 
Exposure in working in mud and water, in constructing the dam, 
canal, and other works ; — 5. The insufficiency of proper house accom- 
modations ; — And 6. The habitations, habits, and peculiar modes of 



23 

living of the Irish laborers. These and other causes have produced 
fevers, dysentery, scarlatina, consumption, and the other fatal diseases 
which have prevailed here ; and have operated to produce an excess 
of deaths above a healthy standard. These causes will operate less 
extensively, however, as the population becomes more settled and sta- 
tionary. 

7. That there is reason to believe that the natural position of the 
town, its artificial and local arrangements, the social and pecuniary 
condition of the inhabitants, and the means provided for their welfare 
and improvement, will render Lawrence one of the most healthy man- 
ufacturing towns in the State, especially if all its affairs continue to 
be wisely and properly regulated and conducted. 

And it is recommended — 

1. That such wise and practical sanitaiy rules and regulations be 
made by the board of health, and always kept in force, as will prevent 
nuisances and secure cleanliness in every street and avenue, and 
around, near, and in every dwelling-house. 

2. That every practical effort be made to prevent crowding too 
many houses upon one lot, and too many families or persons into one 
house ; and whenever such a sanitary evil may be found, that it be 
immediately corrected. 

3. That as soon as practicable, means should be provided for intro- 
ducing into every dwelling-house an abundant supply of pure, soft 
water for domestic use. 

4. That water should not be permitted to stagnate in any street or 
low grounds, within the populous parts of the town ; and wherever 
such cases exist, that the locality be drained or filled up as speedily as 
possible. 

5. That the Catholic burial grounds and other places for the inter- 
ment of the dead, be placed under the control of the board of health 
of the town, and be subject to such regulations as they shall see fit to 
establish. 

6. That a thorough sanitary supervision be exercised by the police 
or other authority over every department of the town, and, as far as 
practicable, that every avenue to intemperance and other vice be 
closed ; that every violation of every sanitary regulation be immedi- 
ately detected, and that nothing unfavorable to the public health be 
suffered to exist. 

7. That exact observations be made by the manufacturing compa- 
nies and in the public schools, concerning the sickness that occurs, as 
recommended in this Report, (pp. 171, 178, and pp. 404-407,) that 
the ti'ue sanitary character of the locality and of the various occupa- 
tions may be fully ascertained. 

8. That such of the measures suggested in this Report, as are appli- 
cable to this town, be adopted and carried into effect by the board of 
health and by the inhabitants. 

9. That a general report be made annually, by the board of health, 
or by the selectmen, which shall embrace a concise abstract of the 
facts concerning the several public departments and offices of the 
town, gathered during the preceding year, exhibiting its sanitary pro- 
gress and its condition ; and which shall recommend such measures as 
may lead to improvement ; and that the same be printed and distrib- 
uted among the inhabitants. 



^u 



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